


Something Real

by TooGoodToBeBad



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route, Garreg Mach Monastery (Fire Emblem), Mentioned Blue Lions Students (Fire Emblem), Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:22:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26359408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooGoodToBeBad/pseuds/TooGoodToBeBad
Summary: Sylvain didn't mean to spy on Ashe and Ingrid during lunch, nor did he mean to invite Mercedes to spy with him. He definitely didn't mean to start being honest with her.But honesty could be addicting sometimes.
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Ingrid Brandl Galatea, Ingrid Brandl Galatea & Sylvain Jose Gautier, Sylvain Jose Gautier/Mercedes von Martritz
Comments: 8
Kudos: 46





	Something Real

Sylvain tried not to make a habit of eating alone, but there were times where it couldn’t be helped. This was one of those times.

It wasn’t often that Felix got in trouble with the Professor, but an incident involving him, Annette, and an inkpot left the Professor with no choice but to ask both of them to stay behind for a few minutes. Sylvain, the absolute gentleman, offered to wait for Felix, but the Professor had all but shoved him out of the room before chewing them out, so he opted not to hang around. That left him without his usual lunchtime companion.

Today’s unusual arrangement is what led him to spying on Ashe and Ingrid from just a table away. Not that he intended on doing it, at first. He was more than content to eat in silence and let his eyes wander aimlessly around the dining hall, dancing from person to person like a dirty secret. He’d spied Dimitri seated with Dedue and Marianne, and he chuckled at the thought of the prince trying to do enough talking for the three of them. Elsewhere, Claude was spiking a drink with some clear liquid in a vial (probably so he could offer it to Lorenz), Caspar and Ferdinand were arm-wrestling while Dorothea cheered them on, and Raphael and Leonie were having a contest to see who could scarf down the most hard-boiled eggs (he’d later hear Lysithea release a litany of curses at the “egg smell” that forced Professor Hanneman to hold the rest of their classes outdoors).

When his lazy gaze settled on Ashe and Ingrid, he was quick to pick up on quite a few things. While the grey-haired archer’s back was to him, if Sylvain had to hazard a guess, he was wearing that dopey grin that he always wore whenever he spoke with her. Not that he could blame him. When she wasn’t scowling or lecturing him about acting like a responsible and halfway decent person, Ingrid could be great company. It probably helped that both Ashe and Ingrid both geeked out over the same stories of knights and chivalry. Sylvain didn’t consider himself the least well-read in class (that honor belonged to Felix, because sword instruction manuals don’t count as books); he actually liked reading. But after hearing Ashe and Ingrid wax poetic about some obscure tale that they both somehow knew by heart over and over, it was easier to tune them out and leave them be.

What really surprised him was her - the way her green eyes lit up with something he couldn’t quite pinpoint while she spoke, the idle tucking of hair behind the ear, the eager smile on her lips, the way their hands were practically touching-

“You know, it’s almost a funny sight to see you eating alone,” a light and cheery voice snapped him out of his reverie. Cracking a smile, he turned his head towards his new companion. 

“I could say the same to you, Mercedes. It seems we’re both without our preferred dining partners today.”

“Looks like we’ll just have to make do,” she breathed out a giggle. “Mind if I join you?”

“Of course, Mercedes. On one condition.”

She raised a curious eyebrow at him. “Hmm? What would that be?”

“You gotta sit beside me, or you’ll block my view,” he patted the seat beside him as he scooted over, and once she sat beside him, a mischievous sparkle shone in her royal blue eyes when she saw where he was looking. 

“Isn’t it rude to spy on people?”

“I’m not spying,” he chuckled. “Just observing.”

That elicited another delicate giggle from her as she smoothed her light blonde hair between her hands. “Well, would you care to share your observations with me?”

He folded his hands behind his neck as a sly smirk crossed his face. “Well, for starters, there is definitely something between those two.”

“I feel like that’s an understatement,” Mercedes grinned as they watched Ingrid slash an imaginary sword through the air with a triumphant grin on her face while Ashe clapped his hands like an excited schoolchild. “Although, I will admit, I thought it would be a lot more one-sided at first.”

“On whose end?”

A softer smile formed on her face. “Ashe’s, of course. I’ve seen the way he looks at her in class when he thinks no one’s looking. As for her, she’s told me about her previous… connection with Felix’s family.” The weight of words unsaid felt like a rock in his stomach.

He nodded soberly at that before running a hand through his fiery red hair. “That makes sense, yeah,” he replied while Ashe fished a book out of his beat-up school bag and slid it across to Ingrid, who offered him another bright smile. “I didn’t expect her to connect with anybody else like this.”

“But that’s for the best, isn’t it?” she mused softly beside him.

He found himself smiling again, but this time it felt honest. Real, even. “Definitely. It’s good for her that she has new friends. Dimitri, Felix, and I, we’re all so broken in our own ways. We’ve all had parts of ourselves stolen from us,” he sighed softly before turning his gaze to Mercedes. “She deserves to be happy. It’s why I’m so thankful for you and Annette, Mercedes. Ashe, even. You’re good for her.”

A soft blush creeped across her cheeks, and it was a color he liked on her. “Why thank you, Sylvain, but you need to give yourself some credit, too. I know, and I think she knows too, that deep down, you really do care for her.”

He blinked slowly at her words while something warm bloomed in his chest. He pushed away his empty plate, but not before sliding his dessert, a small slice of fluffy butter cake, towards Mercedes. Her eyes widened at the gesture, but she graciously accepted with a meek “thank you, Sylvain.”

As she ate, Sylvain’s thoughts drifted to the healer beside him. Mercedes made it a point to see the best in everyone, although he couldn’t quite tell what she saw in him. She was also seemingly immune to his roguish charm, instead wanting to get to know the person behind his mask. The thought of her getting to know who he really was scared him in a way that nothing else did, because he knew the kind of man he was deep inside, and if she ever got too close-

“Could I ask you a question?” she broke the downward spiral of his thoughts with a cheery smile.

He returned it to her. “Of course. Ask away.”

Despite barely speaking above a whisper, Sylvain heard her as clear as day, her words worming their way through him like a parasite. “Does it make you jealous?”

He started at that and shot an uneasy glance at Mercedes, who had the same peaceful expression as always. Had anyone else asked him, he’d easily slip into a carefully prepared charade about how _he_ of all people would never get jealous. But instead, half-hearted lies and easy jokes lingered in his throat, making no attempt to rush past his lips. Instead, something was tugging at his chest - the urge to be real, just as Mercedes had always been with him.

The easygoing smile dropped from his face, and his lungs deflated with a long sigh. “It does, yeah. But not in the way you’re thinking, though, I promise you that.”

“You don’t even know what I was thinking,” she replied.

“I feel like I’ve got a pretty good idea.”

She offered him another serene smile. “So how do you feel, then?”

He pretended not to notice the way her hands were slowly inching their way towards his. “I’m not jealous of Ashe. Thirteen year old me definitely would’ve been, but I’ve grown past that. Ingrid’s like family to me.”

Mercedes nodded solemnly at his words, and he continued on. “It’s just… I’ve never had _that_.”

That got her to raise an eyebrow at him. “And what would _that_ be?”

His heart twisted in his chest while two simple words clawed their way out of his lungs and into the space between them. “Something real.”

As the words dangled in the air, he felt the corners of his mouth twist up in a small smile. “These people who throw themselves at me, and the people I throw myself at, that’s not real. They don’t want me; they want what I’ve got. But them,” he pointed his head towards Ashe and Ingrid. “That’s something. Just a couple of nerds geeking out over knights, but it’s something. The people I waste my time with, we just don’t connect like that. No one’s ever thought to ask me what I enjoy.”

“And what do you enjoy?”

That got a hearty chuckle out of him. “Why, if I didn’t know any better, Mercedes, I’d say you were trying to charm me. Are you, perhaps,” he lowered his voice and wagged his eyebrows at her, “ _Interested_?”

A devilish smirk crossed her face. “Think what you will, Sylvain. I’m just trying to be good company.”

“Never said you weren’t.”

In the silence that followed, Sylvain felt his heart racing at what felt like a million miles an hour. Despite his best efforts, he found himself being honest again, despite the way it sent his heart into a tailspin and made his gut feel all warm and fuzzy. It was almost addicting.

“Theater,” he grinned and broke their silence. “If you can believe it.”

She turned her head towards him and looked at him curiously. “I beg your pardon?”

“You asked me what I enjoy. I like theater. Plays, operas, all that stuff.”

“I can believe it, actually,” she beamed at him. “There’s a lot more to you than meets the eye.”

He felt his face flushing weakly at her words, the warmth blooming across his cheeks. “You know, Dorothea’s holding a show for the monastery two days from now,” he began. “Would you care to join me?”

She hummed thoughtfully. “Why, if I didn’t know any better, Sylvain, I’d say you were trying to ask me out on a date.”

“I might be,” he added coyly. “Only if you’re interested.”

He didn’t miss the way her fingers were now lightly brushing against his on the table, or the way the faintest ghost of a touch sent shivers down his spine. And when she laughed, it was bright and ethereal, but it was something he wanted to hold onto for the moment. “I might be,” she giggled.

He laughed at that (a real laugh, he noted) before returning his gaze back to Ashe and Ingrid. The two of them were about to leave, and he could see the way Ingrid held Ashe’s wrist as she practically dragged him from the table. Her green eyes met his, and an unpleasant scowl formed on her face and she dropped Ashe’s wrist as if she was allergic to cute archers. She stormed towards him, while Ashe eagerly followed.

“Just what do you think you’re laughing at?” she angrily demanded without so much as a greeting, while Ashe simply waved at him and smiled.

“Lady Galatea,” he said in mock horror. “You do know I’m allowed to have a life outside of you, right? Mercedes and I were only sharing our favorite jokes,” he flashed her a lopsided grin while Mercedes hummed her assent beside him.

Ingrid’s expression softened just a bit, but her eyes still regarded him suspiciously. “You weren’t laughing at me?”

While he hadn’t backed down from his staring contest with Ingrid, he could hear Mercedes biting back a laugh from beside him. “Not at all,” he raised an eyebrow. “Were you doing something that we should be laughing at?”

“Definitely not,” she mumbled as a faint blush creeped across her cheeks. “We’re all normal here.”

“Sylvain, Mercedes, Ingrid and I were just on our way to the marketplace outside,” Ashe called out cheerily. “There’s a guy who sells fried dough sticks by the bucket, and sometimes he gives me an extra stick or two. You guys wanna come with us?”

Sylvain pretended not to notice the tiny squeak coming from Ingrid at Ashe’s invitation. “What say you, Mercedes? Are you still hungry?”

She shook her head before giving him a sly grin. “I couldn’t eat another bite if I tried.”

“We’ll pass on the dough sticks for now, Ashe,” Sylvain smiled at the archer. “You kids be good now.”

Ingrid hardly had the time to shoot him another glare before Ashe grabbed her by the wrist and eagerly led her out of the dining hall.

“I suppose I should check on Annie now,” Mercedes smiled softly as she rose from her seat. “But this was nice, Sylvain.”

“Of course! Don’t let me keep you,” he grinned back. “This really was nice. Let’s hang out again sometime.”

“Sure, sure. You still have to take me to Dorothea’s play.”

“That I will,” he said gently, not even trying to fight the tender smile that was forming. “I’ll see you around, Mercedes.”

“Of course you will,” she called out as she walked away. “We still have class later.”

* * *

As Sylvain stood in the empty classroom, idly tracing his fingers across the _I will not throw inkpots at my classmates_ written on the chalkboard in Annette's loopy handwriting, all his thoughts drifted back to her. Her laugh, her kindness, her sincerity.

She was something real.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you guys enjoyed! Feedback and comments are appreciated. This was a lot harder than I anticipated, and I apologize if the tone is uneven or inconsistent or something.
> 
> Sylvain x Mercedes is actually a pairing I really like. They ended together in my first playthrough (Silver Snow because I'm lame like that), and I wanted to try write them and see how it went. I hope they were portrayed somewhat accurately. 
> 
> This was also supposed to just be Sylvain spying on Ashe and Ingrid, but then Mercedes came in and then the whole thing just kinda got hijacked. I'll write more Ashe x Ingrid (heaven knows we need more of them) soon. I should also probably finish the Petra x Ashe piece I've got sitting in my files.


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